Ok. Here is what happened. Tyre shop rings me to tell me the Tie rod end broke while trying to adjust it during alignment, They then start telling me how I must drive it in salt water and basically that it was mine/ my vehicles fault. They said it was seized. So I go in, have a look, the "Alignment Tech" standing there holding a 2 foot pipe wrench with a length of pipe sitting next to him then starts to explain to me how the shear pattern in the thread shows that it was previously cracked and must be the reason for it breaking. There is blatant big teeth marks embedded into the adjuster and jam nut going across the two of them together showing he was twisting on the whole outer. The inner jam nut was loose. I understand things get seized but there was no corrosion to be seen and once he broke it the adjuster threaded by hand very easily off the inner. Is this complete incompetence? What was he expecting? if you keep adding more force to something it must eventually break. I'm no mechanic but I have changed probably 10 or 15 Tie Rod Ends in my adult life. I have never used a Pipe Wrench on any of them. Simply a spanner on the flats of the adjuster and one on the jam nut. He had to be applying all that force to the Tie Rod End ball joint for the thread to break between there and the adjuster.
gph1961,
Aug 23, 6:47am
well that's the end of that then
tony9,
Aug 23, 6:55am
I guess one would expect that when a tire shop attempts wheel alignment.
Who was it? Was it a discount alignment, you get what you pay for.
snoopy221,
Aug 23, 7:00am
WTF is the vehicle as what you have wrote is very very hard to understand And impossible to comment on in reality
pics of the damaged components would assist
caleb.b,
Aug 23, 7:02am
I hate to use them but being so close to where I work and wanting to get it sorted before a trip this weekend. The service purchased was a "managers special" which included balancing all 4 wheels, rotation and a continued alignment plan. Not sure if I will be wanting to use that now. Would prefer to not name until I have my vehicle back and the transaction is completed.
caleb.b,
Aug 23, 7:07am
Sorry if I didn't explain very well. Its a 1994 4m40 Pajero. Broke the Tie Rod End about half way between the adjuster and the ball joint. Outer jam nut still in place against the adjuster and the inner jam nut free and wound up the thread of the inner.
caleb.b,
Aug 23, 7:16am
Don't have pictures of the damage. Here is a picture of an adjuster on a similar Pajero.
Okay could have been a damn valiant from your description. So you are saying that only ONE lock nut was undone when TWO need to be undone and some iriot got heavy handed and broke thangs proving exactly that.
PIC
Edits had pic of left hand side your pic again shows as i have stated
Sorry, Yes I see the confusion now. Next time ill put pictures up and state vehicle in original post. He claimed he was undoing the second lock nut but all the teeth marks in the nut and adjuster showed he had his pipe wrench across the two at the same time. He then tried to tell me how there wasn't much room in there and may have got it across the two on an angle and then proceeded to show me him fitting his pipe wrench tucked up in there. Still didn't grasp the concept that the pipe wrench might not have been the best tool for the job.
snoopy221,
Aug 23, 7:35am
Mate pipe wrenches and pipe and a damn gas torch are actually useable especially on old valiants that have a pipe adjusting section with clamps at each end and being clamped instead of a lock nut they have a split in the outer pipe tube section which when iriots align and leave upwards and water and crud gets in their and siezes them-LOL
But in your case the iriot has no clues and has not undone the 2 lock nuts properly as a given is BOTH are opposing threads. Go see the iriots boss And never EVER expect such an iriot to understand camber castor toe in ackerman and K P I
Go see James here and get a referral to a DECENT wheel alignment place
Somebody can't visually identify a left hand thread I'd say. He has tried to undo the second locknut the wrong way. Good luck.
supernova2,
Aug 23, 8:32am
I agree, in fact i don't think he even thought about it and was used to a standard end on a rack which just swivels the rod without having to undo two lock nuts. Absolute clown IMHO.
thejazzpianoma,
Aug 23, 9:17am
I had one want to use a porta power and bend my car instead of having me replace a worn bush. Never again.
Was also super arrogant when I politely asked him if he had driven selespeed before and wanted a quick rundown so it didn't beep at him.
intrade,
Aug 23, 8:03pm
here is what i know these places use a cresent and plumbers wrenches. i have not seen one place who actuarly uses professional tools. They can seeze up yes its why i have a miniductor heater as acetilen is to expensive to use and to dangerous. Normally these places must have insurance. Now i dont have insurance So i got to not f--k up anything. if i see a huge problem i document it and call the owner to inform them of whyt the outcome could be if i continue. if they dont like it the job finishes right there.
headcat,
Aug 23, 8:14pm
Why inform you at all? Just fix it.
amasser,
Aug 23, 9:04pm
C.G.A. says that all trades-people are required to be competent. Their responsibility to fix it.
trogedon,
Aug 23, 10:33pm
If I stuff up - I fix it and they should too. I'd be telling them they need to refund me or I'd take them to DT.
bryshaw,
Aug 23, 10:42pm
When a vehicle is up on the hoist it is so simple to spray a bit of WD-40 around nuts and adjusters, although admittedly overnight is best.
friendly_prawn,
Aug 23, 11:23pm
name the company then show them this thread so that they know their rep is at stake and then ask the manager how he wants to handle it. I have threatened to make a website showing the damage a company has caused and they dont like that.
Also threaten them with plastering their screw up all over the internet on social media. Take photo next time you go in the shop and show them the photo you'll be posting. With social media the world is a very small place. Easy to cause a company a lot of damge to their rep if they want to screw you around. Obviously be sure you are totally in the right first. But if you are and the manager wont put it right, go in with all guns blazing. The thought of being outted on social media will make any company with half a brain, sort their $hit out real quick.
bryshaw,
Aug 24, 12:13am
Tyre shops seem to go through a lot of staff so this one may be a learner, but then again it all falls back on the manager. Most tyre chains though are quite jealous of their reputation.
mrfxit,
Aug 24, 12:24am
Yea they screwed up alright, when it became apparent it was locked solid, they should have rung you. Not just go ahead & beat the crap out of it.
gazzat22,
Aug 24, 12:43am
Why were they using a pipe(stilson) wrench? A squirt of CRC/WD40 would have worked better with a set spanner and turning in the correct direction!
flack88,
Aug 24, 12:50am
Had a knuckle dragger like that I said get the truck off the hoist I going else where lucky I was there at the time,onto it wheel alignment person hard to find nowdays!
kazbanz,
Aug 24, 2:23am
Please show us where it says that in the legislation. heck that sounds arrogant -I mean it doesn't actually say that
shakespeare6,
Aug 24, 2:57am
I had one of my 4wd vehicles in for a wheel alignment - same issue one of the adjusters was seized. The guy rang me said he couldn’t shift it and didn’t really have the tools to free it up-no problem I told him to mark it - I booked it into a workshop and had it freed up then went back for an alignment. Top out come nothing wreaked rather than some monkey with a pair of stillsons destroying it
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